1987 Brazilian Grand Prix
12 April | number = 437 | officialname = XVI Grande Prêmio do Brasil | circuit = Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet Jacarepaguá Circuit | location = Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 5.031 | laps = 61 | distance = 306.891 |pole = Nigel Mansell |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:26.128 |fastestlap = 1:33.861 |fastestlapdriver = Nelson Piquet |fastestlapnation = BRA-1968 |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 41 |winner = Alain Prost |winnernation = FRA |winnerteam = |second = Nelson Piquet |secondnation = BRA-1968 |secondteam = |third = Stefan Johansson |thirdnation = SWE |thirdteam = }} The 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XVI Grande Prêmio do Brasil, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Jacarepaguá Circuit on the 12 April 1987.'Brazilian GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr437.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019) The race would see Alain Prost open his title defence with victory for , amid controversy both off and on the circuit. Indeed, the opening round of the 1987 campaign had been severely threatened by a boycott by drivers, all due to the costs of renewing their Super Licenses. Elsewhere, FISA implemented a release valve for the turbo charged cars, which was meant to open if the boost pressure exceeded 4.0 Bar, although several drivers reported that it was kicking it a far lower pressure. Yet, it would still be a turbocharged car that kicked off the season on pole position, with Nigel Mansell beating teammate Nelson Piquet in a straight fight. Ayrton Senna was next in the Honda engined , while Teo Fabi put his into fourth ahead of Prost. The field would be reduced to just 22 starters on race morning, for an engine failure for the returning team during the warm-up left them without an engine. Fortunately the start itself would be conducted without issue, with Piquet sprinting ahead of Senna off the line, while Mansell dropped to third ahead of Prost. Piquet would dominate the opening stages of the race, only to have to stop to have paper cleared from his radiators, dumping him back to eleventh. Mansell, meanwhile, would harass Senna for the lead, only to be brought into the pits himself after a sudden spike in engine temperatures. Piquet and Mansell spent the rest of the afternoon running nose-to-tail, picking their way through the field as Senna led Prost. However, when Senna pitted with a handling issue (and later retired with an engine failure), Prost would be left with an unassailable lead, which he would only lose during his stop for fresh tyres. Indeed, Prost would go on to claim a comfortable victory ahead of Piquet, with the Brazilian overcoming Prost's teammate Stefan Johansson in the closing stages. New racer Gerhard Berger ended the day in fourth ahead of Thierry Boutsen, while Mansell ended the afternoon in sixth after a puncture cost him more time. The race was also the debut for the new Jim Clark and Colin Chapman Trophies, intended to reward drivers and teams running with under-powered, naturally aspirated, cars. The winner of the "class" would be Jonathan Palmer in the ahead of teammate Philippe Streiff, although they were only tenth and eleventh overall. Background Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. ** Baldi's entry was withdrawn after he was fired by Brabham. de Cesaris was hence entered in his place. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. ** Baldi's entry was withdrawn after the Italian was fired by Brabham. *† Arnoux's entry was withdrawn as Ligier had no engines available. *‡ Alliot's entry was withdrawn as Lola failed to arrive. Grid ** Capelli was unable to start after an engine failure during morning warm-up. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. ** Alboreto was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. *† Campos was disqualified for an illegal start procedure. *‡ Capelli was unable to start after an engine failure during morning warm-up. Milestones * Debut race for Adrián Campos, Pascal Fabre and Satoru Nakajima.'1987 Brazilian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Brazilian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 01/04/2019) * First race for as an engine supplier. * entered their 50th chassis. * Alain Prost secured his 26th victory.'1. Brazil 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019) * claimed their 53rd win as a constructor. ** scored their 23rd victory as an engine supplier. * Nelson Piquet earned his 40th podium finish. ** The Brazilian also recorded his twentieth fastest lap. * Jonathan Palmer became the first winner in the Jim Clark Trophy class. Standings Victory at the opening round ensured that Alain Prost opened his title defence in perfect fashion, ending the weekend with nine points to his name. Nelson Piquet was next ahead of Stefan Johansson, while Gerhard Berger, Thierry Boutsen and Nigel Mansell had also registered points at the opening round. had early command of the Constructors' Championship, with Prost and Johansson scoring a combined total of thirteen points. were next, having secured seven points, while and were the only other scorers. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy Jonathan Palmer was the inaugural winner in the Jim Clark Trophy, earning him nine points and the lead in the cup. His teammate Philippe Streiff was next, meaning their team led the Colin Chapman Trophy, while Pascal Fabre and were the only other scorers. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:Brazilian Grand Prix